ABOUT

Marius de Vries has been behind some of the most culture-defining recordings and soundtracks of the past three decades, and has won two BAFTAs and an Ivor Novello award for his film composition work, as well a Grammy and five Grammy nominations for soundtrack and record production. 

Beginning his music career playing keyboards for the English eighties pop-soul band The Blow Monkeys, he has since written, arranged and produced across a wide range of styles and genres for artists such as Madonna, Bjork, David Bowie, Rufus Wainwright, Chrissie Hynde, Neil Finn, Annie Lennox, Bebel Gilberto, David Gray, P.J. Harvey, U2, Massive Attack, Elbow, Perry Farrell and Josh Groban, amongst many others. In the film and theatre world, his work includes music direction, score composition and song productions for Baz Luhrmann, George Lucas, Ron Howard, Leos Carax, Sian Heder, Joshua Oppenheimer, Damien Chazelle, Andrew Lloyd Webber, A.R. Rahman, Tom Hooper, Zack Snyder, Daniel Kramer, and Stephan Elliott. 

Marius' work in the early 1990s with The Sugarcubes led to a key role on Björk's "Debut," which marked the beginning of a long collaborative relationship with Nellee Hooper, forming the team responsible for landmark recordings with Massive Attack, Björk, Madonna, The Sneaker Pimps, Tina Turner, and U2, and ultimately the soundtrack and score for Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, for which he received the first of his two BAFTAs.

A few years later, he music-directed the groundbreaking Moulin Rouge, resulting in another Grammy nomination, a second BAFTA, and numerous other awards.  Marius composed the scores for Stephan Elliot’s (Priscilla Queen of The Desert) surreal thriller The Eye of the Beholder, and the jazz-age period comedy Easy Virtue.

The early 2000s saw Marius exploring other musical languages and cultures, in India, China, and Brazil, with A R Rahman, Sa Ding Ding and Bebel Gilberto, as well as producing landmark releases for singer-songwriters Neil Finn (Try Whistling This) Rufus Wainwright (Want One and Want Two) and David Gray (Life in Slow Motion).

In Music Theatre, Marius has worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber on several projects, co-producing the cast album for A.R Rahman’s Bombay Dreams, and contributing music production and arrangements to the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies. He also produced the cast album for Richard Thomas’  hugely successful (and equally controversial) West End comedy hit Jerry Springer The Opera.

Relocating from London to to Los Angeles in 2010, Marius contributed score and song productions to Matthew Vaughn’s irreverent superhero film Kick-Ass, and Zack Snyder’s music-driven action fantasy Sucker Punch, as well as co-producing an LP with Robbie Robertson, featuring guests Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Tom Morello and others, and  served as Music Director and Composer on George Lucas' animated fairytale musical, Strange Magic, released early in 2015.

Another collaboration with Rufus Wainwright (and William Shakespeare)  arrived in early 2016, an album of musical settings of 9 sonnets, released to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, entitled "Take all My Loves" and featuring Florence Welsh, Sian Philips, Helena Bonham Carter, Carrie Fisher, William Shatner, and the german soprano Anna Prohaska, among others. Marius narrates the title track.

He is perhaps most widely known recently for his role as Music Director and Music Producer on Damien Chazelle’s multi-award-winning musical La La Land, which won both music prizes at the 2017 Academy Awards, as well as an unprecedented seven Golden Globes, countless other accolades, and the 2018 Soundtrack Grammy.

In 2018, Marius served as Executive Music Producer on The Lego Movie 2, Max Minghella’s Teen Spirit, starring Elle Fanning, and Katharine O’Brien’s debut feature Lost Transmissions, starring Simon Pegg and Juno Temple.

2019 saw the release of Chrissie Hynde’s critically acclaimed jazz-inflected solo album Valve Bone Woe, produced by Marius with long-time associate Eldad Guetta, which entered the Official Charts Company Jazz charts at number one.

More recently, Marius has worked with celebrated French director Leos Carax on the musical film ANNETTE, starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, and with songs by Sparks, which opened  the 2021 Cannes Film Festival; composed the score for Sian Heder’s multiple Academy award winning feature CODA; and co-composed the score for Daniel Roher’s Sundance-winning political documentary NAVALNY. The score for NAVALNY gathered a Critics’ Choice Best Music nomination, and the music for CODA gained several prizes, including an Academy shortlist, and SCL, ASCAP, and HMMA awards.

Through 2022/23 Marius has been working as Executive Music Producer and Composer on Larry Charles’ subversive comedy musical DICKS: THE MUSICAL, with A24 Studios, which debuted at TIFF and won the Midnight Madness Audience Award ahead of its theatrical US opening in October 2023.

Other projects in development/production include Joshua Oppenheimer’s upcoming apocalypse musical THE END, for Neon. 

He lives in Los Angeles and London, and has two children, Benedict (also a record producer) and Ellie. 

FILMOGRAPHY/DISCOGRAPHY

FILM

THE END DIR: JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER, CO-COMPOER (2024)

DICKS: THE MUSICAL DIR: LARRY CHARLES COMPOSER/EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER (2023)

NAVALNY DIR: DANIEL ROHER COMPOSER/EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER (2022)

ANNETTE DIR: LEOS CARAX MUSIC DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER (2021)

SPIN DIR: MANJARI MAKHANI COMPOSER/EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER (2021)

CODA DIR: SIAN HEDER COMPOSER (2021)

LOST TRANSMISSIONS DIR: KATHARINE O’BRIEN  EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER (2019)

LEGO 2 DIR: MIKE MITCHELL  EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER (2019)

TEEN SPIRIT DIR: MAX MINGHELLA   MUSIC DIRECTOR/MUSIC PRODUCER/COMPOSER (2018)

LA LA LAND DIR: DAMIEN CHAZELLE   MUSIC DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE MUSIC PRODUCER (2016)

STRANGE MAGIC  PROD: GEORGE LUCAS   DIR: GARY RYDSTROM      MUSICAL DIRECTOR/COMPOSER (2014)

SUCKER PUNCH   DIR: ZACK SNYDER       COMPOSER/MUSIC PRODUCER (2011)

KICK-ASS  DIR: MATTHEW VAUGHN       CO-COMPOSER/MUSIC PRODUCER   (2010)

EASY VIRTUE DIR: STEPHAN ELLIOTT       MUSICAL DIRECTOR/COMPOSER   (2008)

MOULIN ROUGE  DIR: BAZ LUHRMANN     MUSICAL DIRECTOR/CO-COMPOSER (2000)

THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER DIR: STEPHAN ELLIOTT    COMPOSER(1998)

THE AVENGERS  DIR: JEREMIAH CHECHICK       MUSIC SUPERVISOR   (1998)

ROMEO + JULIET   DIR: BAZ LUHRMANN       CO-COMPOSER/MUSIC CO-PRODUCER   (1996)

DISCOGRAPHY  (SELECTED)

NAVALNY   ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE (2022)

CODA    ORIGINAL OST (2021)

CHRISSIE HYNDE   VALVE BONE WOE (2019)

LALALAND    ORIGINAL OST (2018) - 2018 BEST SOUNDTRACK GRAMMY WINNER

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT   TAKE ALL MY LOVES - 9 SHAKESPEARE SONNETS (2016)

ROBBIE ROBERTSON   HOW TO BECOME CLAIRVOYANT (2011 LP, FEATURING ERIC CLAPTON, STEVE WINWOOD, TOM MORELLO AND OTHERS)  (2011 LP)

JACKIE EVANCHO    O HOLY NIGHT (2010 EP)

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER LOVE NEVER DIES - ORIGINAL WEST END CAST RECORDING (2010 LP, CO-PROD, TRACKS)

SA DINGDING HARMONY (2009 LP)

PET SHOP BOYS  CHRISTMAS (2009 EP)

DEBI NOVA LUENA NOVA (2009 LP)

TEDDY THOMPSON A PIECE OF WHAT YOU NEED (2008 LP)

MARC ALMOND STARDUST ROAD (2008 LP)

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT RELEASE THE STARS (2007 LP)

JOSH GROBAN AWAKE (2007 LP, TRACKS)

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT ANOTHER BELIEVER/EMOTIONAL COMMOTION (2007, for MEET THE ROBINSONS SOUNDTRACK, DISNEY PICTURES)

PHIL COLLINS I NEED TO DECIDE (2006, for TARZAN BROADWAY MUSICAL, DISNEY THEATRICAL)

DELTA GOODREN DELTA (2007 LP, TRACKS)

SIOBHAN DONAGHY GHOSTS (2006 LP, TRACKS)

LAURA MICHELLE KELLY THERE WAS A TIME (2006 LP)

ELBOW LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD (2005 LP, TRACKS)

DAVID GRAY LIFE IN SLOW MOTION (2005 LP)

THE LEAVES THE ANGELA TEST (2004 LP)

KELLI ALI TIGERMOUTH (2003 LP)

SKIN FLESHWOUNDS (2003 LP)

BOMBAY DREAMS CAST ALBUM (2002 LP, WITH A R RAHMAN)

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT WANT TWO (2002 LP)

PERRY FARRELL SONG YET TO BE SUNG (2001 LP, TRACKS)

EMILIANA TORRINI TO BE FREE (2001 SINGLE)

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT WANT ONE (2001 LP)

DARREN HAYES THE TENSION AND THE SPARK (2001 LP, TRACKS)

BEBEL GILBERTO BEBEL GILBERTO (2006 LP)

BJORK VESPERTINE (2001 LP, TRACKS)

MOULIN ROUGE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK (2001 LP)

MANIC STREET PREACHERS THERE BY THE GRACE OF GOD (1998 SINGLE)

DAVID BOWIE SEVEN (2000 SINGLE)

DAVID BOWIE SURVIVE (1999 SINGLE)

P J HARVEY IS THIS DESIRE (1998 LP, TRACKS)

DAVID GRAY WHITE LADDER (1998 LP, TRACKS)

THE AVENGERS ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK (1998 LP, FEATURING ANNIE LENNOX, GRACE JONES, SINEAD O'CONNOR)

CRAIG ARMSTRONG THE SPACE BETWEEN US (1997 LP, TRACKS)

NEIL FINN TRY WHISTLING THIS (1998 LP)

ROBBIE ROBERTSON CONTACT FROM THE UNDERWORLD OF RED BOY (1998 LP, TRACKS)

ROMEO + JULIET ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK II (1997 LP)

U2 POP (1997 LP - Programmer)

ROMEO + JULIET ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK I (1996 LP)

MADONNA RAY OF LIGHT (1998 LP, TRACKS)

ANJA GARBAREK BALLOON MOOD (1996 LP)

U2/BRIAN ENO PASSENGERS (1997 LP, TRACKS - Programmer)

U2 HOLD ME THRILL ME KISS ME KILL ME (1995 SINGLE from BATMAN FOREVER, WARNER BROTHERS - Programmer)

ANNIE LENNOX MEDUSA (1994 LP - Programmer)

BJORK POST (1995 LP- Programmer)

MASSIVE ATTACK PROTECTION(1994 LP- Programmer)

TINA TURNER - GOLDENEYE (1995 SINGLE form GOLDENEYE, MGM - Programmer)

MADONNA BEDTIME STORIES(1994 LP- Programmer)

BJORK DEBUT(1993 LP- Programmer)

ANNIE LENNOX DIVA (1992 LP - Programmer)

CATHY DENNIS   MOVE TO THIS (1990 LP- Programmer)

D-MOB A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND A LITTLE BIT OF THAT (1989 LP - PROGRAMMER)

THE BLOW MONKEYS WHOOPS THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD   (1989 LP- Programmer)

THE BLOW MONKEYS SHE WAS ONLY THE GROCERS DAUGHTER   (1987 LP- Programmer)

SONGWRITING  (SELECTED)

OUT ALPHA THE ALPHA MEGAN THEE STALLION (FROM F***ING IDENTICAL TWINS, 2023)

BEYOND THE SHORE EMILIA JONES. (FROM CODA, 2021) - 2021 ACADEMY AWARDS BEST SONG SHORTLIST

START A FIRE JOHN LEGEND. (FROM LALALAND, 2017)

LONDON HYMN  JOSH GROBAN (FROM ILLUMINATIONS, LP, 2010)

TANGO FOR DJANGO  ROBBIE ROBERTSON (FROM HOW TO BECOME CLAIRVOYANT, LP, 2011)

NEED TO BE LOVED DEBI NOVA (FROM LUNA NUEVA, LP, 2009)

LUCKY DAY, HAHA LILI, XI CARNIVAL  SA DINGDING (FROM HARMONY, LP, 2009)

ANOTHER BELIEVER RUFUS WAINWRIGHT (FROM MEET THE ROBINSONS OST, 2007)

FEBRUARY SONG JOSH GROBAN (FROM AWAKE, LP, 2007)

YELLOW MOON ROISIN MURPHY (FROM GUANTANOMERA OST, 2007)

SIMPLESMENTE SER, ALL AROUND, NEXT TO YOU, WINTER   BEBEL GILBERTO   (FROM BEBEL GILBERTO, LP, 2004)

CAUGHT IN A MOMENT   THE SUGABABES     (2004 SINGLE)

BEAUTIFUL BOY, SUNLIGHT IN THE RAIN KELLI ALI (FROM TIGERMOUTH, LP, 2003)

STRONGER THE SUGABABES(2002 SINGLE)

FOOL TO BELIEVE, ZIDLER'S RAP, MEET ME IN THE REDROOM (FROM MOULIN ROUGE OST, 2001)

SINNER NEIL FINN (FROM TRY WHISTLING THIS, LP, 1998)

POSSIBLY MAYBE, ISOBEL BJORK (FROM POST, LP, 1995)

HEAT MISER MASSIVE ATTACK (FROM PROTECTION, LP, 1994)

BEDTIME STORY MADONNA (FROM BEDTIME STORIES, LP, 1994)

RATTLEBONE, PEYOTE HEALING, SACRIFICE ROBBIE ROBERTSON (FROM CONTACT FROM THE UNDERWORLD OF RED BOY, LP,  1998)

STORM GRACE JONES (FROM THE AVENGERS OST, 1998)

PRETTY PIECE OF FLESH (FROM ROMEO + JULIET OST, 1996)

THEATRICAL/MISC

KING KONG (LIVE ON STAGE)  ARRANGER/COMPOSER   (STAGE MUSICAL, BROADWAY 2018)

SOUSATZKA  PRODUCED: GARTH DRABINSKY     MUSICAL ARRANGEMENTS  (TORONTO 2017)

KING KONG (LIVE ON STAGE)  ARRANGER/COMPOSER   (STAGE MUSICAL, MELBOURNE 2013)

LOVE NEVER DIES  ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER   ADDITIONAL ARRANGEMENTS  (LONDON WEST END 2010)

SQUAREMAP OF Q4   BONACHELA DANCE COMPANY       COMPOSER(LONDON SOUTH BANK 2008)

JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA  ORIGINAL WEST END CAST RECORDING (2004)   PRODUCER

BOMBAY DREAMS  ORIGINAL WEST END CAST RECORDING (2002 LP) WITH A R RAHMAN   CO-PRODUCER